Apparatuses and methods for dispensing magnetic cards, integrated circuit cards, and other similar items

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses and methods for dispensing cards and other items. In one embodiment, a card dispensing apparatus includes at least first and second card hoppers and a movable card carriage. The card carriage is movable between a first position proximate to the first card hopper and a second position proximate to the second card hopper. The card carriage is configured to receive a first card from the first card hopper when in the first position and a second card from the second card hopper when in the second position. In one aspect of this embodiment, the card carriage can dispense at least the first card into a card outlet chute when the first card has been sufficiently read by a card reader. Alternatively, the card carriage can dispense the first card into a card escrow chute when the first card has not been sufficiently read by the card reader.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/995,032, filed Nov. 22, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/367,110, filed Feb. 14, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No.6,957,746, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/357,519, filed Feb. 15, 2002, which applications are incorporatedherein in their entireties by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following disclosure relates generally to apparatuses and methodsfor dispensing cards and, more particularly, to apparatuses and methodsfor dispensing multiple types of wallet-sized cards.

BACKGROUND

Various vending machines exist for dispensing prepaid credit cards,phone cards, and other types of wallet-sized cards to consumers. Suchmachines typically include a card selector, a credit card reader and/ora bill acceptor, and a card outlet. In use, a consumer selects a desiredcard with the selector and deposits the required funds via the billacceptor or the credit card reader. Once the machine has confirmedreceipt of the funds, a card dispenser housed within the machinedispenses the desired card to the consumer via the card outlet.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a card dispenser 100 configured inaccordance with the prior art. The card dispenser 100 includes a cardhopper 102 containing a plurality of cards 101, a card conveyor 104, acard reader 106, and a card outlet 108. In a typical vending machineapplication, the card dispenser 100 would be housed within the machineso only the card outlet 108 would be exposed. In operation, after a userhas selected a card for purchase and deposited the required funds, thecard conveyor 104 removes the bottom-most card 101 from the hopper 102and moves the card forward past the card reader 106. As the card movespast the card reader 106, the card reader 106 reads information off of amagnetic stripe on the card. Such information can include a unique codefor associating the card with a particular account. For example, if thecard is a prepaid credit card, then the code can be associated with aspecific credit card account. Similarly, if the card is a prepaid phonecard, then the code can be associated with a specific long-distanceaccount. After moving past the card reader 106, the card conveyor 104pushes the card through the card outlet 108 to be picked up by the user.

One shortcoming of the prior art card dispenser 100 is that it can onlydispense a single type of card. As a result, additional card dispensersare required if more than one type of card is to be dispensed from aparticular vending machine. Adding additional card dispensers, however,unfavorably increases the cost, size, and weight of a vending machine.In addition, multiple card dispensers can increase the risk of cardtheft through the additional card outlets.

SUMMARY

The invention is directed to apparatuses and methods for dispensingprepaid credit cards, phone cards, gift cards, stored-value cards, andother similar items. In one aspect of the invention, a card dispensingapparatus includes at least first and second card hoppers, and a cardcarriage selectively movable between a first position proximate to thefirst card hopper and a second position proximate to the second cardhopper. The card carriage is configured to receive at least a first cardfrom the first card hopper when the card carriage is in the firstposition. The card carriage is further configured to receive at least asecond card from the second card hopper when the card carriage is in thesecond position. In another aspect of the invention, the card dispensingapparatus can include a card reader/writer configured to read/writeinformation from/to the first and second cards as they are being removedfrom their respective hoppers.

In a further aspect of the invention, the card dispensing apparatus canalso include a card outlet passage in communication with a card outlet,and a card escrow passage in communication with a card escrow bin. Thecard carriage can be configured to dispense cards into the card outletpassage when the card reader/writer has sufficiently read informationfrom the cards. The card carriage can be further configured to dispensecards into the card escrow passage when the card reader/writer has notsufficiently read information from the cards.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for dispensing at leastfirst and second card types from an enclosure can include placing afirst plurality of cards of the first type at a first location withinthe enclosure, and placing a second plurality of cards of the secondtype at a second location within the enclosure. In response to a firstrequest for a card of the first type, the method can include positioninga card carriage at least proximate to the first location, removing afirst card from the first location with the card carriage, anddispensing the first card to a card outlet with the card carriage. Inresponse to a second request for a card of the second type, the methodcan further include positioning the card carriage at least proximate tothe second location, removing a second card from the second locationwith the card carriage, and dispensing the second card to the cardoutlet with the card carriage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a card dispenser configured in accordancewith the prior art.

FIG. 2A is a partially schematic front isometric view of a carddispensing apparatus configured in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2B is a rear isometric view of the card dispensing apparatus ofFIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front isometric view of a carriage assemblyconfigured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4A-C are partially cutaway rear isometric views of the carriageassembly of FIG. 3 illustrating a card dispensing sequence in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are front and rear isometric views, respectively, of acard vending machine drawer assembly configured in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of a card vending machine with thedrawer assembly of FIGS. 5A and 5B configured in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for dispensing a card inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine for dispensing a card inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure describes apparatuses and methods fordispensing credit cards, phone cards, and other similar items fromvending machines, kiosks, or other enclosures. In some embodiments, theapparatuses and methods disclosed can include features for readinginformation from, and writing information to, media fixed to cards. Suchmedia can include, for example, magnetic stripes complying with one ormore International Standards Organization (ISO) standards, memory chipsembedded in integrated circuit (IC) cards, bar codes, and radiofrequency tags, among others.

Certain embodiments of the apparatuses and methods described herein aredescribed in the context of computer-executable instructions performedby a general-purpose computer. In one embodiment, thesecomputer-executable instructions can be stored on a computer-readablemedium, such as a floppy disk or CD-ROM. In other embodiments, theseinstructions can be stored on a server computer system and accessed viaa communications link or a computer network, such as an intranet, theInternet, or other computer network. Because the basic structures andfunctions related to computer-readable routines and correspondingimplementations are known, they have not been shown or described indetail here to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments.

Certain specific details are set forth in the following description andin FIGS. 2A-8 to provide a thorough understanding of various embodimentsof the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant art willunderstand, however, that the invention may have additional embodimentsthat may be practiced without several of the details described below. Inaddition, some well-known structures and systems often associated withcard dispensing apparatuses and methods have not been shown or describedin detail below to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of thevarious embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify identical or atleast generally similar elements. To facilitate the discussion of anyparticular element, the most significant digit or digits in anyreference number refers to the figure in which that element is firstintroduced. For example, element 390 is first introduced and discussedwith reference to FIG. 3. In addition, any dimensions, angles, and otherspecifications shown in the figures are merely illustrative ofparticular embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, other embodimentsof the invention can have other dimensions, angles, and specificationswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2A is a partially schematic front isometric view of a carddispensing apparatus 200 configured in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. FIG. 2B is a rear isometric view of the card dispensingapparatus 200 of FIG. 2A. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B together, in oneaspect of this embodiment, the card dispensing apparatus 200 includes acard hopper assembly 220 having a plurality of card hoppers 221 (shownas a first card hopper 221 a, a second card hopper 221 b, and a thirdcard hopper 221 c). In another aspect of this embodiment, the carddispensing apparatus 200 further includes a card carriage assembly 210positioned beneath the card hopper assembly 220. As described in greaterdetail below, the card carriage assembly 210 includes a movable cardcarriage 212 that can move back and forth along a first axis 218 toselectively receive the bottom-most card from any one of the three cardhoppers 221 a-c. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the carddispensing apparatus 200 also includes a card passage or chute assembly270 configured to receive cards from the card carriage 212 and deliverthe cards to one of a card holding or escrow bin 276 or a card outlet274. Mounting brackets 230 (shown as a first mounting bracket 230 a anda partially cutaway second mounting bracket 230 b in FIG. 2A) can beused to mount the card dispensing apparatus 200 to the inside of avending machine or other enclosure so the card outlet 274 is adjacent toan opening that is accessible to a user.

Referring to FIG. 2B, each card hopper 221 can be configured to hold acard stack 223 (shown as a first card stack 223 a, a second card stack223 b, and a third card stack 223 c in FIG. 2B). Weights 225 can bepositioned on top of the card stacks 223 to compress the cards andfacilitate sequential removal of the bottom-most cards from the cardhoppers 221 by the card carriage 212. Although the illustratedembodiment depicts three card hoppers 221 a-c, in other embodiments thecard hopper assembly 220 can include more or fewer card hoppers. Forexample, in another embodiment, the card hopper assembly 220 can includetwo card hoppers. In a further embodiment, the card hopper assembly 220can include between four and six card hoppers. In yet anotherembodiment, the card hopper assembly 220 can include seven or more cardhoppers.

Each card hopper 221 can include an open bottom slot 224 (shown as afirst slot 224 a, a second slot 224 b, and a third slot 224 c in FIG.2B) through which a portion of the card carriage 212 can extend toengage and remove the bottom-most card. Each card hopper 221 can furtherinclude a card level sensor 222 (shown as a first card level sensor 222a, a second card level sensor 222 b, and a third card level sensor 222 cin FIG. 2A) positioned toward a bottom portion of the card hopper 221.The card level sensors 222 can sense the card levels in their respectivecard hoppers 221 and transmit a signal when their respective cardhoppers 221 are in need of a refill.

In another aspect of this embodiment, each card stack 223 can include adifferent type of card. For example, in one embodiment, the first cardstack 223 a can include prepaid credit cards, the second card stack 223b can include prepaid phone cards, and the third card stack 223 caninclude prepaid gift cards. Such cards commonly include fixed datastorage media, such as magnetic stripes, integrated circuits, and/or barcodes. In other embodiments, other types of cards can be included in thecard stacks 223. For example, in another embodiment, optical memorycards can be included in one or more of the card stacks 223. In furtherembodiments, the card stacks 223 can include other items such as eventtickets, electronic pass-key cards, transit pass cards, identificationcards, and the like without departing from the spirit or scope of thepresent disclosure.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the carriage assembly 210 isreleasably fixed to the bottom of the card hopper assembly 220, andincludes a first stepper motor 214 and a carriage track 216 extendingbeneath the card hoppers 221. The first stepper motor 214 controlsmovement of the card carriage 212 back and forth on the carriage track216 parallel to the first axis 218, and can selectively position thecard carriage 212 under any one of the three card hoppers 221 a-c asrequired for card removal. As described in greater detail below, inanother aspect of this embodiment, the card carriage 212 is configuredto extract or remove the bottom-most card from the respective cardhopper 221 and move the card forward parallel to a second axis 219. Asthe card carriage 212 moves the extracted card forward, a cardreader/writer 290 associated with the card carriage 212 can, dependingon the type of card, read information off of the card (e.g., off of amagnetic stripe or bar code fixed to the card) and/or write informationto the card (e.g., to a memory chip or magnetic stripe fixed to thecard). In the illustrated embodiment, the card reader/writer 290 isattached to the card carriage 212. In other embodiments, however, othercard reader/writer configurations can be used. For example, in one otherembodiment, each card hopper 221 can have an associated cardreader/writer that reads the cards as they are removed from therespective hopper 221. In yet other embodiments, card reader/writers canbe attached to other portions of the card dispensing apparatus 200without departing from the present disclosure.

After the card carriage 212 has fully extracted the card from therespective card hopper 221, the card carriage 212 moves along the firstaxis 218 into position above the card chute assembly 270. Once inposition above the appropriate chute, the card carriage 212 drops thecard into the chute.

In the illustrated embodiment, the card carriage 212 is configured to“receive” the bottom-most cards from the card hoppers 221 by removingthe bottom-most cards from the card hoppers 221. In other embodiments,the card carriage 212 can be configured to receive the bottom-most cardsfrom the card hoppers 221 in other ways. For example, in one otherembodiment, the card hoppers 221 can include card dispensing featuresconfigured to eject the bottom-most card (or other card) onto the cardcarriage 212 when the card carriage 212 is adjacent the respective cardhopper 221. Accordingly, in yet other embodiments, other methods can beused to move cards from the card hoppers 221 and onto the card carriage212, without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentinvention.

In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the card chute assembly 270includes a card outlet passage or card outlet chute 271, and a cardescrow passage or card escrow chute 272. The card outlet chute 271 isconfigured to receive cards from the card carriage 212 that areacceptable for distribution and to deliver such cards to the card outlet274. As described in greater detail below, in one embodiment, the cardoutlet 274 can be positioned on the front of a vending machine or otherenclosure in which the card dispensing apparatus 200 is housed so thatusers can easily retrieve the cards they purchase. As shown in FIG. 2B,a card dispensing sensor 275 can be positioned adjacent to the cardoutlet chute 271 to sense when a card has been dispensed to a user. Suchinformation can be useful to detect a jam or other malfunction in thesystem that prohibits cards from being transferred to the card outlet274. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the card escrow chute 272can be configured to receive cards from the card carriage 212 that areunacceptable for distribution and to deliver such cards to the cardescrow bin 276 for subsequent recycling or disposal by an operator ofthe card dispensing apparatus 200.

The card outlet chute 271 and the card escrow chute 272 of theillustrated embodiment are but one possible configuration of cardpassages that may be employed consistent with the present disclosure. Inother embodiments, these passages may extend in other directions todispense cards to users or to holding bins, as the case may be, or thesepassages may be at least partially automated with mechanized conveyancesfor moving cards. In yet further embodiments, these passages can beomitted and the cards can be dispensed directly from the card carriage212 to an adjacent outlet slot or, conversely, to an adjacent holdingbin.

Based on the foregoing, if a card is properly read or written to withthe card reader/writer 290 during extraction from one of the cardhoppers 221 (and hence is an acceptable card), then the card carriage212 drops the card into the card outlet chute 271 for delivery to a uservia the card outlet 274. If instead the card is improperly read orwritten to with the card reader/writer 290 (and hence is an unacceptablecard), then the card carriage 212 drops the card into the card escrowchute 272 for delivery to the card escrow bin 276. One advantage of thisfeature is that it avoids the cost and inconvenience associated withdistributing defective cards to users. Another advantage of this featureis that the card outlet 274 is vertically offset from the card carriage212, making it difficult for a person to gain access to the cards storedin the card hoppers 221 by inserting a hand or elongated device into thecard outlet 274. In other embodiments, however, the card outlet chute271 can be omitted and the card carriage 212 can be at least partiallyalignable with a card outlet slot or other similar type of opening. Inthese embodiments, the card carriage 212 can dispense acceptable cardsby simply ejecting them forward through the aligned outlet slot.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the card dispensing apparatus200 includes a carriage controller 240 and a card data processor 242operatively connected to a “data funnel” or card dispensing processor251 (shown schematically in FIG. 2A). The card data processor 242 can bemounted to the underside of the card carriage 212 and can be operativelyconnected to the card reader/writer 290. Accordingly, the card dataprocessor 242 can be configured to receive data that has been read froma card by the card reader/writer 290. In addition, the card dataprocessor 242 can be further configured to transfer data from the carddispensing processor 251 to the card reader/writer 290 for writing to acard by the card reader/writer 290. The carriage controller 240 can bemounted to the card hopper assembly 220 and can be operatively connectedto the card carriage 212. The carriage controller 240 can controlmovement of the card carriage 212 back and forth along the carriagetrack 216 via the first stepper motor 214. In addition, the carriagecontroller 240 can control card removal by the card carriage 212 via asecond stepper motor 215 mounted to an aft end of the card carriage 212.

The card dispensing processor 251 can be mounted adjacent to the cardhopper assembly 220 in vending machine applications. The card dispensingprocessor 251 can transmit control signals to, and exchange data with,the carriage controller 240 and the card data processor 242 in responseto signals received from a central computer 250 (shown schematically inFIG. 2A). As described in greater detail below, the card dispensingprocessor 251 can also receive signals from one or more payment featuresconfigured to receive payment for a card, such as a bill acceptor and/ora card reader (e.g., a credit or debit card reader).

The central computer 250 can be a main computer controlling the overallfunctions of a particular card vending machine, kiosk, or otherstructure in which the card dispensing apparatus 200 is housed. Forexample, in one embodiment, the central computer 250 can receive userinstructions, such as card selections and payment choices, via a userinterface 252 (also shown schematically in FIG. 2A). As will beexplained in greater detail below, such user interfaces can include akeypad, display screen, touch screen, and/or various user selectionbuttons. In another embodiment, the central computer 250 can enablemodem connections to remote computers in a computer network. Suchconnections can facilitate the exchange of data, such as card purchaseand/or card account data, with one or more of the remote computers.

The present invention is not limited to the foregoing arrangement ofprocessors and controllers. For example, in an alternate embodiment, thecard dispensing processor 251 can be omitted. In this embodiment, thecentral computer 250 can transmit control signals directly to, andexchange data directly with, the carriage controller 240 and the carddata processor 242 to control the functions of the card dispensingapparatus 200.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front isometric view of the carriage assembly 210of FIG. 2 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.A cut-away portion of the card hopper 221 b is also shown in FIG. 3 forpurposes of illustration. In one aspect of this embodiment, the carriagetrack 216 includes first and second elongate guide rods 318 a, 318 bextending between first and second support blocks 315 a, 315 b. Thefirst stepper motor 214 can be fixedly attached to the first supportblock 315 a and can selectively rotate a first lead screw 311 bothclockwise and counter-clockwise about its axis. The first lead screw 311can be threadably engaged with the card carriage 212 such that rotationof the first lead screw 311 in one direction causes the card carriage212 to move to the left on the guide rods 318, and rotation of the firstlead screw 311 in the opposite direction causes the card carriage 212 tomove to the right on the guide rods 318. A first hand-wheel 317 can befixedly attached to a distal end of the first lead screw 311 adjacent tothe second support block 315 b for manual movement of the card carriage212 on the guide rods 318. Such manual movement may be desired duringcleaning or inspection of the carriage assembly 210.

In another aspect of this embodiment, the card carriage 212 includes acarriage body 380 having a card loading end 302 and a card dispensingend 304. The second stepper motor 215 can be fixedly attached to thecard loading end 302 of the carriage body 380, and a second lead screw384 can extend from the second stepper motor 215 through the carriagebody 380. A card selector 386 can be threadably engaged with the secondlead screw 384 such that rotation of the second lead screw 384 about itsaxis by the second stepper motor 215 causes the card selector 386 tomove fore and aft on the second lead screw 384. A second hand-wheel 319,similar to the first hand-wheel 317, can be fixedly attached to aproximal end of the second lead screw 384 outboard of the second steppermotor 215 for manual movement of the card selector 386.

As described in greater detail below, the card selector 386 can includea raised portion or other card engagement feature 387. The cardengagement feature 387 is configured to catch an aft edge of abottom-most card in the adjacent card hopper 221 as the card selector386 moves forward on the second lead screw 384 from its home position,as shown in FIG. 3. As the card selector 386 moves forward, it pushesthe bottom-most card out of the card hopper 221 and toward the carddispensing end 304 of the carriage body 380.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the card carriage 212 alsoincludes a spring-loaded card press 392 that presses cards toward thecard reader/writer 290 as they move forward toward the card dispensingend 304 of the carriage body 380. This pressure can ensure thatsufficient closeness is maintained between the card reader/writer 290and a recording media fixed to the cards (e.g., a magnetic stripe ormemory chip) so that information can be accurately read from, andaccurately written to, the recording media.

In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the card carriage 212 furtherincludes a card exit sensor 395 mounted toward the card dispensing end304 of the carriage body 380. The card exit sensor 395 can include asensor arm 394 extending movably upward into the card path. When struckby a card moving along the second axis 219, the sensor arm 394 pivotsdownwardly under the weight of the card, signaling the presence of thecard on the card dispensing end 304 of the carriage body 380. Asdescribed in greater detail below, this signal can be transmitted viathe card exit sensor 395 of the card dispensing processor 251 (FIG. 2A).In response to this signal, the card dispensing processor 251 cantemporarily halt the card selector 386, pending the decision of whetherto dispense the card into the card outlet chute 271 or the card escrowchute 272 (FIG. 2A). Although the card exit sensor 395 of theillustrated embodiment includes a mechanical switch (i.e., the sensorarm 394), in other embodiments, other types of sensors (e.g., lightsensors) can be utilized to indicate the presence of a card on the carddispensing end 304 of the carriage body 380

In addition to the forgoing features, the card carriage 212 can furtherinclude a carriage position sensor 389, a card selector position sensor388, and a hopper empty sensor 382. The hopper empty sensor 382 can bemounted to one side of the carriage body 380 and directed upwardly intothe adjacent card hopper 221. Similar to the card level sensors 222described above with reference to FIG. 2A, the hopper empty sensor 382can transmit a signal to the card dispensing processor 251 (FIG. 2A)when the adjacent card hopper 221 is empty. The card dispensingprocessor 251 can then transmit an appropriate message to an operator ofthe card dispensing apparatus 200 notifying the operator of the emptycard hopper 221. The card selector position sensor 388 can be mountedtoward the card loading end 302 of the carriage body 380 and can sensewhen the card selector 386 is in its home position. “Home” for the cardselector 386 is when the card selector 386 is fully retracted backtoward the second stepper motor 215, as shown in FIG. 3. The carriageposition sensor 389 can be mounted to one side of the carriage body 380and can be used to accurately position the card carriage 212 withrespect to the individual card hoppers 221 (FIG. 2A) for card removal.For example, in one embodiment, the carriage position sensor 389 caninclude a light sensor that aligns with slots or other apertures in thecard hopper assembly 220 when the card carriage 212 is properly alignedrelative to a particular card hopper 221. Although the foregoingdiscussion describes certain types of sensors and sensor mountingpositions, in other embodiments, other types of sensors and othermounting positions can be used without departing from the spirit orscope of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-C are partially hidden and cutaway rear isometric views of thecarriage assembly 210 of FIG. 3 for the purpose of illustrating a carddispensing sequence in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.The card hopper assembly 220, the card press 392, and the card chuteassembly 270 (FIGS. 2A-3) would normally be present during such asequence but are not shown in FIGS. 4A-C for purposes of clarity.Referring first to FIG. 4A, the sequence begins when the card carriage212 is properly positioned beneath one of the card hoppers 221 (FIGS.2A, B). From this position, the second stepper motor 215 rotates thesecond lead screw 384, causing the card selector 386 to move forwardfrom its home position along the second axis 219. After a shortdistance, the card engagement feature 387 contacts an aft edge of a card402 and pushes the card 402 toward the card reader/writer 290. In oneaspect of this embodiment, the card reader/writer 290 is positioned inat least general alignment with a fixed media 404 (e.g., a magneticstripe, IC chip, or bar code) facing downward from the card 402. Thecard reader/writer 290 can be configured to either read data from thefixed media 404 or write data to the fixed media 404 as the card 402moves over the card reader/writer 290. After moving over the cardreader/writer 290, the card 402 proceeds forward toward a card ejector489 positioned on the card dispensing end 304 of the carriage body 380.

Referring next to FIG. 4B, while moving onto the card ejector 489, aforward edge of the card 402 contacts the sensor arm 394 and rotates thesensor arm 394 downwardly. This movement causes the card exit sensor 395to transmit a signal to the card dispensing processor 251 via thecarriage controller 240 (FIG. 2A). This signal tells the card dispensingprocessor 251 that the card 402 is present on the card dispensing end304 of the carriage body 380. In response to the signal, the carriagecontroller 240 causes the card selector 386 to stop moving forward alongthe second axis 219. As a result, the card 402 temporarily stops on thecard dispensing end 304 of the carriage body 380 in the position shownin FIG. 4B. The card dispensing processor 251 then determines via thecard data processor 242 (FIG. 2A) whether the fixed media 404 wassufficiently read (or written to) as the card 402 moved over the cardreader/writer 290. In this context, the phrase “sufficiently read” meansthat the pertinent data (e.g., an account number and/or a value)contained on the fixed media 404 (e.g., a magnetic stripe) was fullyacquired by the card data processor 242. Similarly, the phrase“sufficiently written to” means that such data was fully transferred tothe fixed media 404 (e.g., a memory chip) by the card data processor242.

If the fixed media 404 was sufficiently read (or written to), then thecard carriage 212 moves along the first axis 218 to position itselfabove the card outlet chute 271 (FIG. 2A) so that the card 402 can bedispensed to a purchasing customer. If, however, the card 402 was notsufficiently read or written to, then the card carriage 212 moves intoposition above the card escrow chute 272 (FIG. 2A) so that the card 402can be dropped into the escrow bin 276 and not dispensed to thecustomer. This card checking feature ensures that only cards that havebeen properly read or properly written to (i.e., only usable cards) aredispensed to customers. Accordingly, this feature saves customers fromthe trouble of having to return invalid or unusable cards to theoperator of the associated vending machine for reimbursement.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, once the card carriage 212 is in positionabove the appropriate card chute (i.e., either the card outlet chute 271or the card escrow chute 272), the card selector 386 proceeds forwardalong the second axis 219, causing the card ejector 489 to rotateupwardly about a pivot axis 485. This motion causes the card 402 torotate upwardly off of the card carriage 212 and fall into theappropriate card chute. Once the card 402 has fallen, the card selector386 moves back along the second axis 219 to its home position, and thecard carriage 212 translates back along the first axis 218 to its homeposition. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the “home” position ofthe card carriage 212 is a position that is not aligned with any of thecard hoppers 221 or either of the card chutes 271 or 272. Parking thecard carriage 212 in such a home position may provide certain securityadvantages by preventing direct access to the card hoppers 221 via oneof the card chutes 271 or 272 when the card dispensing apparatus 200 isnot in use.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are front and rear isometric views, respectively, of thecard dispensing apparatus 200 of FIGS. 2A, B mounted to a drawerassembly 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In oneaspect of this embodiment, the card-dispensing apparatus 200 is mountedto the drawer assembly 500 with the mounting brackets 230 describedabove with reference to FIGS. 2A, B. The drawer assembly 500 can includeone or more structural features for suitably mounting the drawerassembly 500 to a kiosk, coin-counting machine, card vending machine, orother enclosure from which cards are sold or otherwise distributed tousers. Referring first to FIG. 5A, in one aspect of this embodiment, thedrawer assembly 500 can include one or more features for receiving fundsfrom a user to purchase a card dispensed by the card dispensingapparatus 200. For example, the drawer assembly 500 can include a cardreader 522 and a bill acceptor 520. The card reader 522 can beconfigured to read a conventional credit card, debit card, ATM card, orthe like when they are swiped through the card reader 522 by a user. Thebill acceptor 520 can be configured to receive paper money from theuser. In another aspect of this embodiment, the drawer assembly 500further includes an opening 574 positioned to receive cards from thecard outlet 274 for distribution to users.

Referring next to FIG. 5B, in another aspect of this embodiment, thecard dispensing processor 251 can be mounted to an aft portion of thedrawer assembly 500 and can control all functions associated with thecard dispensing apparatus 200 via connections to the carriage controller240, the card data processor 242, the card reader 522, and the billacceptor 520. As explained above, the card dispensing processor 251 canreceive instructions from the user interface 252 and other sources viathe central computer 250 (shown schematically in FIG. 5B).

FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of a card vending machine 610 thatincludes the drawer assembly 500 of FIG. 5 in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. In one aspect of this embodiment, thevending machine 610 can include features at least generally similar instructure and function to features of the coin-counting machinesdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,776 to Molbak (“Molbak”), which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference. In other embodiments,however, various features of the vending machine 610 can differ from thecoin-counting machines described in Molbak, depending on the particularapplication. In another aspect of this embodiment, the vending machine610 includes a display screen 613, user selection buttons 614, and akeypad 611. The display screen 613 can display various user instructionsand prompts explaining how to purchase cards and/or perform otherfunctions with the machine 610. The user selection buttons 614 caninclude, for example, various options for responding to the prompts andselecting a desired type of card or a desired method of payment.Similarly, the keypad 611 can allow the user to input variousalphanumeric information, such as account numbers and/or monetaryvalues, related to the card purchase transaction.

In a further aspect of this embodiment, the machine 610 includes a coininput region or tray 615 configured to receive a plurality of coins froma user for counting. In one embodiment, the user can elect to receive aredeemable voucher via a voucher outlet 616 for a value related to thetotal amount of coins counted. In another embodiment, the user can electto pay for a card (such as a prepaid credit card or phone card) withcoins as an alternative to paying for the card with a credit card viathe card reader 522 or with paper currency via the bill acceptor 520.

In one aspect of this embodiment, a user desiring to purchase a cardfrom the vending machine 610 may do so by first reading the cardpurchase instructions and prompts displayed on the display screen 613.(Alternatively, the instructions can be provided on the front or side ofthe machine 610, along with product advertising.) By using the userselection buttons 614 and/or the keypad 611 to respond to the prompts,the user can select a particular type of card (e.g., a prepaid creditcard or phone card) and a particular card value. In one embodiment, theavailable card values (e.g., the amount of money or long-distanceminutes associated with a card) may be predefined such that the usermust choose from a limited number of options. In other embodiments, thevalue may be variable such that the user may be able to define the cardvalue. In either embodiment, the user then enters payment (e.g., via thecoin input tray 615, the card reader 522, and/or the bill acceptor 520)sufficient to cover the cost of the selected card. Once the vendingmachine 610 confirms the receipt of payment, the card dispensingapparatus 200 dispenses the desired card with the desired value to theuser via the card outlet 274. As mentioned above, in one embodiment, thevending machine 610 can be networked via the central computer 250 (FIG.2A) to other card vending machines and remote computer systems toexchange information related to card purchases. Such information caninclude, for example, bank and credit card account information, inaddition to long-distance calling card account information.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 700 for dispensing aselected card to a user with the card dispensing apparatus 200 of FIGS.2A, B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In one aspectof this embodiment, the routine 700 can be carried out by the centralcomputer 250 (FIG. 2A) according to computer-executable instructionsstored on a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk or CD-ROM.The routine 700 starts when the central computer 250 receives a requestfor a particular type of card. This request may come via the userinterface 252 (FIG. 2A) which, as described above, can include a keypad,touch screen, and/or other user selection buttons. In response to thecard request, in block 702, the routine 700 prompts the user for paymentfor the card. In another aspect of this embodiment, such payment caninclude cash received in the form of coins or bills, and/or creditreceived in the form of a credit card account number. In otherembodiments, cards can be purchased using other forms of payment,including prepayment from a remote computer via a computer network or anassociated web site.

In block 704, the routine 700 signals the card dispensing processor 251to position the card carriage 212 under the particular card hopper 221(FIG. 2A) that contains the desired card. In decision block 706, theroutine 700 determines if payment for the card has been received fromthe user. If payment has not been received, then in decision block 708the routine 700 determines if the transaction should be terminated. Inone embodiment, the routine 700 can elect to terminate the transactionbased on the amount of time that has elapsed without receiving paymentfrom the user. In other embodiments, termination can be based on otherfactors, such as user termination input or lack of a user response to anappropriate prompt. If, however, the routine 700 determines that thetransaction should not be terminated, then the routine 700 can continueto wait for user payment or it can reprompt the user for payment. Oncethe routine 700 confirms that user payment has been received, then inblock 710 the routine 700 signals the card dispensing processor 251 toissue the selected card to the user.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a routine 800 for dispensing aselected card to a user with the card dispensing apparatus 200 of FIG.2A, B in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. Theroutine 800 starts when the card dispensing processor 251 receives aninstruction from the central computer 250 to position the card carriage212 under the particular card hopper 221 that contains the desired cardtype. In response to the instruction, in block 802, the card dispensingprocessor 251 (via the carriage controller 240) moves the card carriage212 from its home position to a position beneath the appropriate cardhopper 221.

After the card carriage 212 has been positioned beneath the appropriatecard hopper 221, in decision block 804 the routine 800 determines if ithas received a signal to dispense the desired card. If such a signal hasnot been received, then in decision block 806 the routine 800 determinesif the transaction has been halted. As explained above, in oneembodiment, the transaction may be halted by the user or the transactionmay be halted automatically because the user has failed to depositsufficient funds within a set period of time. Either way, if thetransaction has been halted, then in block 808 the card carriage 212returns to its home position. If the transaction has not been halted,then the routine 800 continues to wait for a signal to dispense thedesired card. Once the routine 800 receives the signal to dispense thedesired card, in block 810 the card carriage 212 engages the bottom-mostcard in the card hopper 221 and pushes the card forward out of the cardhopper 221. In block 812, the card reader/writer 290 reads theinformation stored on the card (or, alternatively, writes information tothe card) as the card moves forward on the card carriage 212. In block814, the card selector 386 (FIG. 3) stops once the card has been fullyread (or written to), but while the card is still positioned on the carddispensing end 304 (FIG. 3) of the card carriage 212. In decision block816, the routine 800 determines if the card was sufficiently read (orwritten to) as it moved over the card reader/writer 290.

If the card was not sufficiently read (or written to), then in block 822the card carriage 212 moves into position above the card escrow chute272 and, in block 824, drops the card into the card escrow chute 272where it falls into the card escrow bin 276. In block 826, the cardcarriage 212 then returns to the appropriate card hopper 221 and repeatsthe sequence of blocks 810, 812, and 814 to remove a fresh card from thecard hopper 221. Accordingly, the routine 800 can repeat the foregoingcard removal sequence until a card that is suitable for distribution tothe user has been extracted from the appropriate card hopper 221.

Returning to decision block 816, if the card was sufficiently read (orwritten to), then in block 818 the card carriage 212 moves into positionabove the card outlet chute 271. In block 820, the card carriage 212drops the card into the card outlet chute 271, where it falls to thecard outlet 274 for pickup by the user. In block 808, the card carriage212 returns to its home position and the routine is complete.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preciseembodiments disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for,the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, although certain functions may be described in the presentdisclosure in a particular order, in alternate embodiments thesefunctions can be performed in a different order or substantiallyconcurrently, without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. In addition, the teachings of the present disclosure can beapplied to other systems, not only the representative card vendingsystems described herein. Further, various aspects of the inventiondescribed herein can be combined to provide yet other embodiments.

All of the references cited herein are incorporated in their entiretiesby reference. Accordingly, aspects of the invention can be modified, ifnecessary or desirable, to employ the systems, functions, and conceptsof the cited references to provide yet further embodiments of theinvention. These and other changes can be made to the invention in lightof the above-detailed description. In general, the terms used in thefollowing claims should not be construed to limit the invention to thespecific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless theabove-detailed description explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly,the actual scope of the invention encompasses the disclosed embodimentsand all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the inventionunder the claims.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or pluralnumber also include the plural or singular number respectively.Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similarimport, when used in this application, shall refer to this applicationas a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Whenthe claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or moreitems, that word covers all of the following interpretations of theword: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, andany combination of the items in the list.

While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of theinvention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventorsreserve the right to add claims after filing the application to pursuesuch additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention.Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not limited, exceptby the appended claims.

1. A card dispensing apparatus comprising: a first card hopperconfigured to hold a first plurality of cards in a first vertical stack;at least a second card hopper configured to hold a second plurality ofcards in a second vertical stack; a card carriage selectively movablebetween a first position proximate to the first card hopper and at leasta second position proximate to the second card hopper, wherein the cardcarriage is configured to receive at least a first card from the firstvertical stack when the card carriage is in the first position, andwherein the card carriage is further configured to receive at least asecond card from the second vertical stack when the card carriage is inthe second position; a card outlet; and a card escrow bin, wherein thecard carriage is configured to transfer at least one of the first andsecond cards to the card outlet when the card carriage is in a thirdposition, and wherein the card carriage is further configured totransfer at least one of the first and second cards to the card escrowbin when the card carriage is in a fourth position, different than thethird position.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cardoutlet passage in communication with the card outlet, wherein the cardcarriage is further configured to transfer at least one of the first andsecond cards to the card outlet passage for transfer to the card outlet.3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the third position is offset fromthe first and second positions.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thecard outlet is at least generally accessible to a user of a vendingmachine when the first and second card hoppers are enclosed within thevending machine, and wherein the card escrow bin is at least generallyinaccessible to the user of the vending machine when the first andsecond card hoppers are enclosed within the vending machine.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a card reader positionableproximate to the card carriage, wherein the card reader is configured toread information from at least one of the first and second cards.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5 wherein the card reader is configured to readinformation from a magnetic stripe formed on the at least one of thefirst and second cards.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cardcarriage includes a carriage body and a card selector movably supportedby the carriage body, wherein the card selector is configured to removeat least the first card from the first card hopper when the cardcarriage is in the first position, and wherein the card selector isfurther configured to remove at least the second card from the secondcard hopper when the card carriage is in the second position.
 8. A carddispensing apparatus comprising: a first card hopper configured to holda first plurality of cards in a first vertical stack; at least a secondcard hopper configured to hold a second plurality of cards in a secondvertical stack; a card carriage selectively movable between a firstposition proximate to the first card hopper and at least a secondposition proximate to the second card hopper, wherein the card carriageis configured to receive at least a first card from the first verticalstack when the card carriage is in the first position, and wherein thecard carriage is further configured to receive at least a second cardfrom the second vertical stack when the card carriage is in the secondposition; a card writer affixed to the card carriage, wherein the cardwriter is configured to write information to at least the first card;and a card outlet, wherein the card carriage is configured to transferthe first card to the card outlet when the card writer has sufficientlywritten the information to the first card, and wherein the card carriageis further configured to transfer the first card to a card holding binwhen the card writer has insufficiently written the information to thefirst card.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the card carriage isselectively movable to a third position offset from the first and secondpositions, and wherein the card carriage is further configured totransfer at least one of the first and second cards to the card outletwhen the card carriage is in the third position.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 8 wherein the card carriage includes a card selector movablysupported by a carriage body, wherein the card selector is configured toremove at least the first card from the first card hopper when the cardcarriage is in the first position, and wherein the card selector isfurther configured to remove at least the second card from the secondcard hopper when the card carriage is in the second position.
 11. A carddispensing apparatus comprising: a first card hopper configured to holda first plurality of cards in a first vertical stack; at least a secondcard hopper configured to hold a second plurality of cards in a secondvertical stack; and a card carriage selectively movable between a firstposition proximate to the first card hopper and at least a secondposition proximate to the second card hopper, wherein the card carriageis configured to receive at least a first card from the first verticalstack when the card carriage is in the first position, and wherein thecard carriage is further configured to receive at least a second cardfrom the second vertical stack when the card carriage is in the secondposition, wherein the card carriage includes: a carriage body; a cardselector movably supported by the carriage body, wherein the cardselector is configured to remove at least the first card from the firstcard hopper when the card carriage is in the first position, and whereinthe card selector is further configured to remove at least the secondcard from the second card hopper when the card carriage is in the secondposition; and a card ejector positioned toward a distal end of thecarriage body, wherein the card ejector is configured to receive thefirst and second cards from the card selector and eject the first andsecond cards from the card carriage.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11,further comprising means for transferring at least the first card to acard outlet.
 13. A card dispensing apparatus comprising: a first cardhopper configured to hold a first plurality of cards in a first verticalstack; at least a second card hopper configured to hold a secondplurality of cards in a second vertical stack; a card outlet fordispensing acceptable cards; a card escrow bin for holding unacceptablecards; and a card carriage selectively movable between a first positionproximate to the first card hopper, a second position proximate to thesecond card hopper, a third position spaced apart from the first andsecond positions, and a fourth position spaced apart from the thirdposition, wherein the card carriage is configured to receive at least afirst card from the first vertical stack when the card carriage is inthe first position, wherein the card carriage is configured to receiveat least a second card from the second vertical stack when the cardcarriage is in the second position, and wherein the card carriage isfurther configured to optionally transfer the first and second cards tothe card outlet when the card carriage is in the third position and tothe card escrow bin when the card carriage is in the fourth position.14. The card dispensing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a cardreader configured to read information from at least the first card,wherein the card carriage is configured to move to the third positionand transfer the first card to the card outlet when the card reader hassufficiently read the information from the first card, and wherein thecard carriage is further configured to move to the fourth position andtransfer the first card to the card escrow bin when the card reader hasinsufficiently read the information from the first card.
 15. The carddispensing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a card readeraffixed to the card carriage, wherein the card reader is configured toread information from at least the first card, wherein the card carriageis configured to move to the third position and transfer the first cardto the card outlet when the card reader has sufficiently read theinformation from the first card, and wherein the card carriage isfurther configured to move to the fourth position and transfer the firstcard to the card escrow bin when the card reader has insufficiently readthe information from the first card.
 16. The card dispensing apparatusof claim 13 wherein the card carriage includes a carriage body and acard selector movably supported by the carriage body, wherein the cardselector is configured to remove at least the first card from the firstcard hopper when the card carriage is in the first position, wherein thecard selector is further configured to remove at least the second cardfrom the second card hopper when the card carriage is in the secondposition, and wherein the first card is the bottom-most card in thefirst vertical stack and the second card is the bottom-most card in thesecond vertical stack.
 17. The card dispensing apparatus of claim 13wherein the card carriage is positioned below the first and second cardhoppers and is configured to move laterally between the first, second,third, and fourth positions.
 18. The card dispensing apparatus of claim13 wherein the card carriage is configured to move back and forthbeneath the first and second card hoppers in a first direction, whereinthe card carriage includes a card selector movably supported by acarriage body, wherein the card selector is configured to move in asecond direction perpendicular to the first direction to remove at leastthe first card from the first card hopper when the card carriage is inthe first position, and wherein the card selector is further configuredto move in the second direction to remove at least the second card fromthe second card hopper when the card carriage is in the second position.